Summer: "I have hope that Asian Counter-Strike can get better"

Rare Atom became the second team to qualify for the Shanghai Major.

Attending a Major is a dream for most players in the Counter-Strike scene, and very few get to experience the feat. At the Shanghai Major, however, the passionate Chinese crowd will get to see at least one home roster.

Rare Atom became the second team to secure a Shanghai Major berth with a 2-0 win against TALON. The win marked YuLun "⁠Summer⁠" Cai's return to a Valve-sponsored event for the first time since Stockholm 2021, with the 27-year-old taking some time to talk to HLTV after their victory with the help of a translator.

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Rare Atom secure home Major berth in Shanghai

"Our goal has always been to go to the Major. Plus, I haven't been to the Major in so many years, so I feel very excited," Summer began.

"I am very proud we could make it for all our players. We were all benched by other teams, so we gathered and made one of our own. Our goal was to get into the Major and show them how good we are and that they maybe made a wrong decision to bench us."

Personal vindication has undoubtedly been on Summer's mind after he was benched by TYLOO in October 2023, but the 27-year-old hopes the event will also have a positive effect on the entire region. "I have hope that Asian Counter-Strike can get better," he said. "Maybe this will give young talents more chances to show themselves and make Chinese and Asian Counter-Strike better."

The Shanghai Major will also be the first since Rio 2022 to have a crowd for all three stages, meaning Summer's troops will get to enjoy home support. "It will be pretty nice to hear the support from the fans, especially this time, as many Chinese fans will be there. It might inspire some players' passion," he said about the feeling of playing in front of a home crowd.

Rare Atom made it through the Major at the expense of TALON, and Summer said he never doubted his team in the deciding series. "I never felt nervous or worried about the game, we just believed in each other. I called a pause to have a short break and communicate some information for the next round. TALON aren't as strong as FlyQuest, so we believed we could win the game," he said.

When asked why Rare Atom were able to make it through the cutthroat RMR, Summer pinpointed the good preparation and atmosphere within the team. "We trusted ourselves, and that's why we made it," shared the 27-year-old.

"For the last six months, we spent a lot of time in Europe, where we practiced and improved. That's why we became the second team to qualify."

The interview ended with Summer praising the Asian scene and talking about the lack of opportunities for the region as a whole. "The Chinese and Asian teams are just as good as the European or American teams. But the Asian teams don't have that many chances to attend tournaments," he lamented.

"Maybe we can have more chances to play more tournaments to show the Asian scene is not that bad in the future."